Change is always hard because the new power structures have to wrest control away from the old. Its rarely pretty. Everybody in the old structure complains because it means they will have to find new ways to exploit the system. Change is good.

When I was reading this I was thinking about a winter mountain bike ride I did on my Fat Bike. I was riding on our local mountain bike singletrack trails in a heavily wooded area here in Minneapolis. The mountain bike single track trail, yes we ride it all year around, crosses a cross country ski trail at least 5 times throughout the winding twisty, and really fun, loop. We also ride at night and when we do, we use bright lights (500 lumens or more) to light the way. A week or so ago I was coming up to an XC ski trail and mountain bikers are supposed to yield to skiers. It makes sense, we have brakes and can stop easier, they can't. I didn't see any skiers so I went forward to cross only to hear the skis on the snow in barely enough time to stop and not get t-boned by a skier. The person yelled at me as they blew by......without any lights whatsoever!!!! There is no rule that skiers should use lights, but I also XC ski and when I ski at night, I use a headlamp. Yes, most of the time, because we are in the city, I can see the ski trail perfectly fine without lights. But I use the lights so OTHERS can see me. Whether that be other skiers, hikers, cyclists, or whoever may be out there in the woods and potentially crossing the ski trail. Leaving people to make wise decisions and think about others besides themselves clearly doesn't work. I am not a huge fan of so many regulations, but honestly, most of them are needed.

As for the government fuel standard, I think it's a good thing because it challenges car companies to progress. Look at what it has done. We have the most powerful cars on the road right now, more powerful than what was available in the late 60's and early 70's. Yet they get pretty damn good fuel economy considering their capabilities. Cars keep improving and I feel like they are better than they ever have been in recent years. So why change a thing? Why go backwards and why stop pushing for progress?

Well said. The reason government feels the need to legislate everything is because the general public cannot be trusted. Too many people are only concerned about themselves, not how their actions might impact others. Trying to turn back the clock is foolish, change is ever-present and we need to adapt to that change and embrace change when new information becomes available.

1. Standardize the definition of a coupe i.e. "a car that has TWO passenger doors and a fixed roof" - and the advertising/marketing thereof, and

2. Set minimum standard for rear leg room in passenger cars equipped with rear seats. If legroom is good enough for the generally shorter Chinese, then its good enough for the generally taller Americans.

This is not just a comfort issue. The inability to move/stretch your legs while seated can rapidly lead to blood clots and DVT. The airlines many have the monopoly on creating this affliction, but there's no reason the automobile industry needs to support them.

this is....the California mentality. The rest of country is buying trucks in droves, no one wants to drive hybrid or electric cars - just look at sales numbers!!! so it makes sense that Mr. Pruitt would help the American manufactures to slower the pace of moving towards higher efficiency - I am not opposed to it just thought 2025 was way too aggressive to start with, pushing this to 2030 sounds a lot more reasonable given the market preferences...

Every engineer who has ever lived has toiled at their craft knowing something is going to change once the next set of regulatory or managerial revisions are made. It is part of our job.

I have trouble believing engineers in large part are going to feel offended at pushing out regulations to a later date. I have a feeling it is more a sigh of relief than anything.

Well said.

You, unlike Phillips, look at the problem through the lens of common sense.

Like you, I live in the real world where we have to find a way to exist under the byzantine edicts of bureaucratic elites who have not a care in the world for the actual harm done by their so-called good intentions thanks to the omnipresent Law of Unintended Consequences.